


There's Something Special About Will Graham

by New_day



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hannibal Lecter is the Chesapeake Ripper, M/M, Murder Husbands, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-08 02:34:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16420730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/New_day/pseuds/New_day
Summary: Hannibal knows there's something special about Will Graham.Not just because of his empathy disorder, but because of...something else.





	There's Something Special About Will Graham

Hannibal knows there's something special about Will Graham.

Not just because of his empathy disorder, but because of...something else.

He has watched him analyzing crime scenes, watched him assuming the killer's point of view.

Will closes his eyes, and Hannibal knows he is imagining being the killer and committing the crime.

Will's expression becomes distant, remote, and when he opens his eyes again, they are _completely black_ for a moment instead of blue.

Hannibal would swear to that, but he seems to be the only one who notices it.

***

When Will kills Garret Jacob Hobbs, Hannibal observes this as well.

Will is in the kitchen, obviously in a state of shock, his hands on Abigail's throat. 

His face is covered in blood, and his eyes...

His eyes are pitch-black. They are voids, dark and so deep that Hannibal thinks he might lose himself in them.

Hannibal stares at him, intrigued, and suddenly, he knows that he can't do it.

He knows that Will is going to find out about him eventually, he has known since he first met Will.

Sooner or later, Will is going to find out that Hannibal is the Chesapeake Ripper.

But still, Hannibal can't do it. He can't frame Will, like he planned to do.

Will is much too interesting to give him up and confine him to a prison cell.

Hannibal just has to know. 

He has to find out what it is.

He has to know what is so special about Will Graham.

So Hannibal frames Dr Chilton for his crimes instead of Will.

***

Hannibal can't help but wonder if Will knows the truth about him.

Sometimes he suspects this, but he isn't sure.

When Chilton is arrested, Will doesn't seem surprised. 

Is this because he really believes that Chilton did it?

This would be a disappointment to Hannibal. Will, with all his knowledge of the human mind, with his ability to emphasize with anybody, should know better.

He should know that Chilton would have never been able to commit the Ripper crimes, to elevate pigs to art like Hannibal does.

A part of Hannibal wants Will to find out.

Wants to be seen, to be recognized for what he is.

If anybody were able to do that, it would be Will.

But although Hannibal is almost as good at reading people as Will is, he just can't figure him out.

Hannibal still has no idea what it is that makes Will so special.

So he decides that something has to be done about that.

***

When people are starting to get killed by a human disguised as an animal, Hannibal knows immediately that it must be Randall Tier.

He still remembers his patient, the young, quiet boy who confessed to him that he wished to be an animal.

An interesting patient indeed, who Hannibal helped find his path.

Possibly even his most interesting patient, until...

Until he met Will Graham.

Hannibal finds Randall and sends him to Will's house, knowing he will try to kill Will.

Hannibal is curious what will happen.

He has no doubt that Will will emerge victorious and will kill Tier.

What Hannibal is curious about is how this will affect Will.

***

Hannibal hopes that Will is going to call him, and he does.

He drives to Will's house and finds the empath in his living room, with his kill lying lifeless on the floor, beaten to death, his neck snapped.

Hannibal's heart fills with pride and joy.

Will, who has been staring at the ground, looks Hannibal in the eye.

Hannibal catches his breath.

Will's eyes are completely black, like two empty shells, like wells so deep one could drown in them.

“You are beautiful, Will,” Hannibal says, his voice full of emotion.

The empath stares at him.

“You can see it?” He asks. “You see?”

“Yes, Will,” Hannibal replies joyfully. “I can see you.”

He looks at Will, seeing his own darkness reflected in the void of Will's black eyes.

“I feed on darkness,” Will whispers, “I have to, or else I will die. That's why I analyze crime scenes. When I imagine the crimes, I can feel and absorb the crime's darkness and feed on it. But...no matter how often I do it, I'm never satisfied, I always feel hungry, hollow. It's just not enough, it's never enough.” His voice breaks.

Hannibal looks at Will in fascination, pondering his words. He has never heard of anything the like. Vampires come to his mind, supernatural beings who feed on blood and who Hannibal always believed to be the product of an overactive imagination. But a creature that feeds on darkness? How utterly intriguing.

He looks down at the body on the floor.

“You know what you have to do, Will,” he says. “You know what will help you.”

Will stares at Hannibal with his dark, bottomless eyes.

“Yes. I know. I never wanted to be a murderer, but after I killed Garret Jacob Hobbs, I realized that killing sustained me for much longer than analyzing crime scenes ever did. When I killed Hobbs, I absorbed his darkness, I let it engulf me completely until it became a part of myself...and I felt nourished, sated, healthy and sane, like I never did before. This feeling lasted for months, until it eventually waned and I felt..the worst hunger and desperation I had ever felt in my whole life. And now that I killed again, I don't know if I can stop anymore. Killing Randall Tier will give me nourishment for quite a while, but some day, the hunger will be back again. And I fear it will be worse than ever before.”

Will smiles at Hannibal, a sad, bitter smile. “You sent him here, didn't you? You sent this killer to my house, because you were curious what would happen. I know what you are, Hannibal,” he says softly. “I didn't want to believe it, because you are my friend, but...I know. I know that you are the Chesapeake Ripper and that you framed Chilton for your crimes. I should kill you. There's so much darkness inside you that I wouldn't be tempted to kill again for a very long time. You might sustain me for a year.”

Hannibal smiles back at Will. “Perhaps you should, Will, but you know you can't. You can't kill me.”

“Can't I? And why's that?” Will asks, raising his eyebrows.

Hannibal walks over to Will. He cups Will's face with his hands, looks him in the eye and says tenderly: 

“For the same reason why I can't kill you. For the same reason why I couldn't frame you for my crimes, although it would have been more convenient than framing Chilton. For the same reason why you couldn't report me to Jack Crawford. I can't kill you, but I can teach you, Will. I can teach you to not just feed on darkness, but to embrace it, like I have done for all my life. There are many people in this world who radiate darkness, and I can help you find them and feast on them. I can teach you to celebrate life instead of merely surviving, Will. Let me help you.”

***

Randall Tier's body is displayed at the Museum of Natural History.

The top of his head and his arms and legs have been placed on the skull and skeleton of a sabertooth cat.

Will Graham, Dr Lecter and Jack Crawford are regarding the body.

“His killer chose not to dispose of his body, but to display it,” Jack Crawford remarks.

“He has no fear for the consequence of what he has done,” Hannibal adds, looking at Will.

Will returns his gaze. “Yes,” he agrees with a smile. “No guilt.”

Jimmy Price and Brian Zeller are watching the scene, and Zeller looks at Will in confusion and frowns.

“I don't know what it is,” he says to Price, “ But something is different about Will. It's not just the dark funeral clothes and the fact that he suddenly decided to comb his hair- there's something else. It seems like he's doing better, like he's more confident and less unstable than usual. Not that he's suddenly more normal and less weird than before- on the contrary actually.”

Still frowning, Brian Zeller observes the profiler closely. It seems as if there's a strange aura around Will, as if he is radiating, beaming, but not with light, but with- darkness. Almost as if he is engulfed by a dark cloud. Zeller shudders. I really need a vacation, he thinks. These creepy cases are really starting to get to me. I'm even beginning to hallucinate.

Jimmy Price chuckles. “Of course he's different. And I think I know what's responsible for that. Or should I say who?”

When Brian Zeller looks at him perplexedly, Price rolls his eyes. “Dr Lecter,” he says. “Don't tell me you didn't notice. They've been making googly eyes at each other since they've met. And now they suddenly seem more...intimate, much closer than they used to be. I bet there has been a relationship upgrade.” He winks at Zeller.

Zeller stares at him disbelievingly. “Will Graham and Dr Lecter? You really think so? Why would Dr Lecter...why would anybody...with a freak like...” Zeller pauses. “Well,” he says, shrugging. “It's none of my business anyway. I suppose there's no accounting for taste.”

Price takes a look at Will who is still regarding the displayed hybrid creature. “I don't know about that. He's not exactly my type, but...I have to admit there's something special about him. It's even more obvious now that he seems more confident and content and doesn't try to hide behind his glasses anymore. I can see why Dr Lecter finds him attractive. I'm not sure what it is, but there's definitely something special about Will Graham.”

Hannibal, whose sense of hearing is almost as good as his sense of smell, smiles at Price's words. He revels in Will's sight, delighted at the blackness of his eyes and the utter darkness surrounding him. To Hannibal, Will has never been as perfect and as beautiful as he is now in this moment.

Yes, Hannibal thinks, observing the empath with pride and affection. There is indeed.


End file.
